


Impulse

by Skyepilot



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Coulson Being Impulsive, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Kissing, Love, Porn with Feelings, Skye encouraging it, Speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-12 05:18:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3345032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyepilot/pseuds/Skyepilot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ficlet about Skye confronting Coulson on his impulsive nature.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Impulse

“ _Why did I hide it from you?_ Because last time you didn’t know what I was, you spied on me.”

“Skye."

She shrugged at him.

"I said I wouldn’t do that again,” he challenged.

They were at a standoff in his office, things coming to a head a week after they had left San Juan.

“Every time we start to get closer, when we hit a bump in the road, you pull away,” she said, looking away, then self-consciously wrapping her arms around herself.

“I’m _trying_ to do the right thing,” he said, leaning back against his desk. “I’m the Director of SHIELD.”

“Don’t use that,” she said, glaring back up at him. “Don’t even. No one made you chase me down into that temple, _Mr. Director_.”

“I know,” he looked around nervously. “That’s the thing. In everything else, I can keep my focus, stay above it, make the hard calls.” He looked at the floor, then back up at her. “But when it comes to you…”

“So now it’s _my fault_?” she asked, incredulous, pointing at herself.

“No,” he said, desperate for her to understand. “I’d never suggest that. It’s mine. Skye, ever since we met…," he ran his hand against his forehead. "There’s just something different. About me," he blurted out. "When I’m with you.”

“You’re not _with me_ when you’re hiding things,” she started in when he paused.

“Let me finish,” he interrupted. “I want to say that’s only a good thing, but,” he was searching for the right word. “ _Impulsive_ , maybe?” he said, spreading his hands towards her in a pleading gesture.

She pressed her tongue inside of her cheek and stared back at him, mulling it over.

Bringing her into SHIELD wasn’t met with a lot of applause, she knew that. Keeping her there after she revealed she was working for the Rising Tide did not raise approval ratings. Then there was the GH-325 incident, breaking protocols. And coming after her alone to get her away from Ward (although somehow her memory had made that into something more exciting, in retrospect). Now, his chasing her into the temple, loaded with armed explosives and unarmed with a very good reason for doing it.

“Have you ever thought,” she began. “ _And this is just a suggestion_ , but...that’s who you really are?”

He sighed and looked over at her, locked his fingers together again in front of him.

“I’m serious,” she said. “I know you’re the Director, and if I started an award for most compartmentalized, you’d be a serious contender,” she said as his posture slumped and he looked slightly irritated. “Aren’t you allowed to be both? Isn’t that what made you Director-material in the first place?”

“You said I’m hiding things, but I’m not,” he replied quietly. “I haven’t, since we agreed…”

“I’m talking about your _feelings_ , Coulson. Not your 'mission objectives'.”

He bit his lower lip and frowned. “There’s very little distance between our personal lives and our professional ones after HYDRA blew up in our faces. This is the closest thing I have to a family, but, we have a greater duty.”

“ _Personal lives?_ ” she asked. “ _What_ personal lives? This is just life now,” she said, letting her hands fall to her sides. “What else do we have?”

“I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you, Skye, I know what it takes to make it work.”

“Or, have you been doing it for _so long_ , you’ve forgotten what life outside these walls is really like?” she asked. “Look, I’m not saying I was doing it better. Let’s get real, I was living out of my van and poking the bear."

"You were fighting _a giant_ ," he said emphatically. " _Alone_."

"Anyway," she continued. "My feelings were just as much invested as my sense of obligation.”

“I know,” he said. “That’s why I wanted you in SHIELD.”

“Then, why…?” she said, stopped herself and shrugged. “We’re just going in circles, aren't we?”

“I’m not like you, Skye.”

“That’s not really true, though, is it?” she replied.

“I wish I were, but, I’m not.”

“I need more than that from you,” she said, flatly, staring back at him.

He locked eyes with her. 

  
***

"Hold on a second," May said, putting her hand up. "This isn't practical, Coulson."

"It doesn't need to be practical," he replied. "It just needs to work."

"This doesn't require you to be in the field," she said, watching him put on the flack vest. "What about coms?"

"I'll have Skye in my ear running the back end. Besides, you'll be there," he smirked. "What could go wrong?"

"Famous last words," she said, looking at him, then across the hangar at Skye. "The last time you pulled this...," she started.

" _Drop it_ ," he said quickly.

The last time Trip almost died. And then he did. They didn't need the reminder.

"Establish contact, initiate the offer," Skye said, walking up to them, helping secure Coulson's vest.

"We're holding their operatives," he said, adding to her recap, checking his sidearm. "If they want them back, they deal directly with us.  If they don't, they'll deal with us for the Obelisk."

"What if they're gifteds?" May asked, looking between the two of them. "What then?"

"There's a good chance, since they think we have the Obelisk. We do threat assessment," he answered, as Skye finished suiting him up. "If needed, we circle back around to Skye at the drop point," he added, looking up at Skye with a smirk. "Then, we take them to church."

May watched Skye smile back at him before going to work at her tablet.

"Why are you doing this?" May say, exasperated. "Why not Hunter, or _anyone else_?"

"Because it feels right," he said. "Hunter's too emotionally invested because of Bobbi."

"And you're not?" May asked, looking rather grim.

"We're on the same page," he said. "Things seem to work out that way."

She stepped closer to him. "You're taking an unnecessary risk, Phil," she started.

"Noted. I don't know if you've noticed, but, I do that sometimes," he replied.

"I _have_ noticed," she said, frowning and briefly looking at Skye.

"You still have my back?"

" _Of course_ ," she said, storing her gun.

  
***

"You alright?"

"I'm a little shaken up," she said, her back pressed up against the wall of the empty vault where he'd found her. He started to say something, when she shook her head. "I wasn't trying to be funny with the shaking thing..."

"I know," he answered, taking a step towards her.

"I'm...like them, I guess?" she said, rolling her eyes, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"Yes. And no."

She shut her eyes. "They had control and I didn't," she said, bitterly.

"You helped us get away," he said. "Learn more about them, and what they wanted."

"Me," she said, eyes wide open now. "They wanted me."

"They can't take you," he answered immediately, trying to read her. "Unless...that's what, you want?"

"If they keep looking for me," she said, "I'm just putting our entire operation at risk."

"This is about more than just the operation," he said. " _You_ mean more to me than..."

"Coulson," she said, walking to him. "This isn't just HYDRA. These people can _do_ things. That one guy, he knew that I'd been exposed to the crystals in the Obelisk, _just by looking at me_."

"We'll handle it," he said, touching her arm. "Together."

"I'm sorry," she said, pulling away from him. "I can't let you do that. You were right. There's too much at stake."

"No," he said. " _Skye_. Don't..."

"They don't want to hurt me," she replied. "They just want to talk."

"Alright," he said, stepping to her, then taking her hand in his. "If that's what you want."

Nodding sadly, she said, "I'll contact them through the channel we used," she added, looking down at his hand touching hers. "Tonight."

"That doesn't give me much time, then," he said.

"For what?" she asked.

He searched her face for a moment, then stepped closer to her, swallowing.

"Sir?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

His head dipped and he hesitated for a moment before brushing his lips against hers.

When she gasped a little, he drew back.

"I shouldn't have done that," he said, letting his hand drop to his side.

"Is this...to get me to stay?" she asked, confused.

"No," he said. "It's just...how I feel," he said, tensing his jaw before he stared back into her eyes.

"Coulson." She grabbed at his shirt and yanked him towards her.

"Put your hands on me."

***

His skin was still slick to the touch, the sweat on their skin just starting to dry as they both caught their breath.

"What time is it?" he rasped, as she pulled her hand away from the spot on top of his scar to let him reach across her for his watch on the nightstand.

He checked the watch and dropped it back down on the table, then leaned down and kissed her.

Like he was memorizing everything about this.

There were times he had touched her, although briefly, and these were the same hands. And now every single touch of his fingers felt intimate. His thumb across her chin reminded her of his hand on her face once before. She put her hand against his and then turned to kiss his palm.

"It's different, isn't it?" he asked, the corner of his mouth turning up as he settled in next to her. "It's nice."

"Yeah," she said, smiling widely, leaning back against his pillow. "But, _not different_ , at the same time?"

His pillow. His room.

"Sweet digs," she added, peering around the room for the first time, really. "Girl could get used to this."

"Promise?" he said, she turned and caught him staring at her. Smiling.

"I _am_ planning on coming back, you know," she said, matter-of-factly, planting her hand on this chest and then swinging her leg over him as she settled across him. He groaned at the contact.

"Especially," she added, touching her fingers to his mouth. "If I get to see that smile more often."

"All the time," he said, drawing his lips over her index finger. "When you're back."

"Bribery," she said, " _I knew it_."

"Just part of  _my_ contribution," he enunciated, with a grin, grabbing her hips, then pulling her down into a kiss.

" _Phil_."

He paused, his lips still touching hers, hand holding her face to his.

"Trying it out," she said, her lashes brushing against his cheek, as he pressed his lips to hers, dipping his tongue against her lower lip.

She hummed and took his hands, pushing them down against the bed, sliding her fingers between his, pressing them against the mattress as she kissed him back, hard.

He worked his hands loose from hers and grabbed her wrists.  "We have about six hours left," he said. 

"Just seeing what revs your engine," she replied, teasing her hips against his.

"We want the same things," he said, letting go of her to reach his hands forward to cup her breasts. "Don't we?"

She leaned forward, tossing her hair across one shoulder, letting his hands support her weight, as she reached his mouth and licked across his lower lip, before biting it.

"Yes."

One hand slid down her stomach, his fingers settling between her legs.

"Do you want this?" he asked. "I do."

Things were slower now, not like before, where they'd tossed aside their clothes with too busy hands.

" _Yes_ ," she answered, moaning when she felt him pressing into her, pushing her hips against his hand.

" _Skye_ , this is really turning me on," he chuckled, as she rested her forehead against his, rolling her hips as he added another finger.

He took in a few deep breaths then pulled his hand away and pushed himself up and into her,  just hard enough.

"Your turn to be on top," he said, arching himself in deep as she sat back and put her hands on his thighs, grinding against him.

"That's how you like it, isn't it?" she said, a little cocky, watching his mouth fall open slightly. 

"I'll show you how much."

***

"Director," she said, tipping her head at him.  

He pulled his eyes away from her long enough to look at the party across from them. There were about six of them, posture defensive, like they were about to take something that belonged to them.

He _had_ to trust her on this.

" _Skye_ ," he said, feeling creeping into his voice.

"Until we meet again. Sir," she said, hiding a smile.

"Counting the days," he nodded, hands behind his back, then he made himself turn away as she crossed the field towards them.

May scowled over at the other party as Skye met them and then turned to Coulson as they both began walking away.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"No," he said, looking down at the ground as they headed towards the Bus.

"It's not what you wanted," May replied.

"No. But, it's what she wanted," he said, turning back.

He pushed the button as the ramp closed.

And then, Skye was gone.

 


End file.
